What I Can't Say
by SmilesSaveLives
Summary: What if Neferet's plan to kidnap Stevie Rae was actually put into action? What would Stevie Rae do? More importantly, what would Rephaim do? Set during Awakened.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**

**Hi! Okay, so what if Neferet's plan to kidnap Stevie Rae was actually put into action? What would Stevie Rae do? More importantly, what would Rephaim do? Set during Awakened. R&R please!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own HON (unfortunately). I do not own the plot or events that take place (sadly 'cause this is a lot of fun to write). I do not own any of the epic characters (*tears up*), and that includes Rephaim (*glomps Rephaim and sobs hysterically*).**

**~Smiley**

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Chapter 1: After Jack's funeral.

_Neferet_

The plan had worked perfectly. Zoey couldn't say a single word against her without defacing herself, so she was put back in her place, gagged with her hands tied. _As she should be_, Neferet thought as the fledglings all made their way back to their rooms after the funeral. Now, only Damien, Zoey, Stark, Shaunee, Erin, Aphrodite, and Darius stayed, watching the embers flicker out. Oh, and Stevie Rae was there too, Neferet noticed, her eyes closed and concentrating on a prayer.

_Now that Zoey was out of the way_, Neferet thought as she watched the little red vampyre, _it's only a matter of her best friend._

Then Neferet turned and glided away, not to return to her chambers, but to that luxurious penthouse where her lover awaited.

_Stevie Rae_

_Why the hell can't I stop cryin'?_ Stevie Rae thought around another sob. _Goddess, I really hate funerals, especially since it's Jack's_. Stevie Rae sobbed, tears streaming down her already drenched face. _I haven't cried this much since… I don't think I've ever cried this much._

Stevie Rae felt like puking. She wanted to curl up on the ground and just lie there forever and ever, and then maybe the upcoming battle would just pass her by. But, at the same time, she felt like screaming at the top of her lungs. She wanted to scream at Neferet, she wanted to scream at Darkness, she wanted to scream at the world, and she wanted to scream at herself. She also wanted to run home to her mama and let her fix her life like she used to when she was really little, and she wanted to run to her daddy so he would keep her safe.

But she couldn't do any of those things, so she settled for bawling her eyes out and praying to the Goddess, _please help heal our hearts, especially poor Damien's_. As the embers became black coals, Zoey stood and put a hand on Damien's shoulder.

"C'mon. We should go inside," she said, holding tight to Stark's hand with the one that wasn't on Damien's shoulder. Erin and Shaunee supported Damien as they followed Aphrodite, Darius, Zoey, and Stark inside. Only Stevie Rae stayed where she was, completely rooted to the spot.

"Support him, Earth," she whispered between sobs, and a green glow instantly went from her to Damien.

He wiped his eyes before he asked, "You aren't coming?"

"Nah, I'll come inside later. I just need to spend some time alone with my element is all," she answered with a shaky voice.

"Okay," Damien said. The Twins nodded in unison before they followed Damien and the others.

When she was finally alone, she asked out loud, "Are you gonna just hide in that tree all night?"

The leaves of the tree behind her ruffled as he leaped down gracefully, but she refused to look at him. She wasn't mad at him, but her sight was too blurred with tears to see him anyway. When he touched her shoulder and turned her around, she still stared at the ground. It wasn't until he cupped her face in his hands and forced her to meet his gaze that she really looked at him.

"What are you doing here?" she whispered as he wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"I had to make sure you were alright, but you are not. You're drowning in your own tears," he said.

"Well what do you expect? I'm at the funeral of a real good friend of mine who was murdered, I can't prove that his death was a murder, and I feel like the whole entire world is just crashing down around me and I can't stop—"

"Shhhh…" Rephaim pulled her into a huge hug to silence her as she got more and more worked up. "You need to relax," he murmured as he rubbed her back in small circles.

Stevie Rae sobbed into his shoulder, soaking his soft feathers. "I-I c-c-can't," she stuttered.

"Then I'm taking you away from here until you can. Hold on," he said and wrapped his arms around her tighter. She did as she was told as his strong wings lifted them up into the sky.

It would have been great even if she was crying. Stevie Rae felt safe and comfortable in Rephaim's arms, and the wind felt great in her hair. The sobs that rippled through her entire body didn't even hurt as much. The view must have been amazing; it was just that she couldn't see it. Her eyes were shut tight, and she was trying to remind herself to breathe. She squeezed Rephaim harder as he brought them higher.

Her intense grip on him finally made him ask, "What's wrong?" Rephaim knew through their Imprint that something else was bothering his priestess. When she didn't answer, he repeated, "Stevie Rae, what's wrong?"

"Nothin'." She finally answered shakily into his shoulder. "I'm okay."

Rephaim seriously didn't believe her. For one, she was still crying. Second, her obvious lie was muffled by his feathers, as she was speaking into his shoulder. "Then look at me."

Stevie Rae shook her head, eyes still shut tight. "Stevie Rae, look at me," Rephaim said. "Look me in the eye and tell me that you are okay."

Slowly, very, very slowly, Stevie Rae tilted her head up at him and opened her eyes. Rephaim could tell it wasn't just sadness that made them look so broken.

"What is wrong?" he asked.

"I-I'm scared of heights," she admitted, looking ashamed but keeping her eyes locked with his.

Rephaim tightened his arms around her. "I would never let you fall."

"I know, but I've still never been this far off the ground." Her voice was shaking from both fear and sadness.

"You were fine the last time I flew you to Gilcrease," Rephaim said.

"That was a shorter flight, I was too tired to be scared, and you let me keep my eyes closed that time. Also, we weren't this far away from the earth."

Then Rephaim understood. "Oh, I see. Do you want me to fly lower? Or do you want to just walk there?"

"No, if we fly lower or walk then they'll see us. I just wanna close my eyes so I don't look down."

"Then you do that," Rephaim said, and if he could have, he would have smiled at her, his amazing, brave High Priestess. As soon as he said the words, her face was buried in his feathers and her eyes were shut tight. Rephaim flew a little faster, only thinking of making her more comfortable.

When Rephaim finally landed gracefully on the roof of the Gilcrease mansion, Stevie Rae had lost feeling in her legs, and Rephaim had to support her they went inside. On the bright side, she had stopped sobbing and the only evidence of her tears was her red eyes and nose.

Finally, Rephaim stopped at his closet/nest thing, and gently laid her down inside, moving the blankets around so they cradled her perfectly. Then he stood back and simply stared at her from the doorway.

"Well?" she asked.

"Well what?" Rephaim questioned, confused.

"Are you just going to stand there all night or lay down here with me?" she answered his question with another from the surprisingly roomy closet.

"Oh," he said, and lay down in the blankets. Stevie Rae immediately snuggled up next to him, and he allowed himself to try putting his arms around her. Instead of yelling at him or pushing him away like Rephaim expected her or any sane person to do, she curled up against him even more.

Rephaim closed his eyes, and they stayed silent for a little while. Eventually, their hearts beat as one, and even their breathing became the same. Embracing the contentment Stevie Rae felt simply laying there with her Consort, Stevie Rae let her tears stop flowing and let herself fall asleep.

_Rephaim_

Rephaim stayed very still, afraid he would shatter the perfect moment if he moved. He only allowed himself to rub small circles on her back, knowing without knowing why he knew that she liked it. He didn't ever want this moment to end. Ever. He didn't even mind that his chest was more than a little damp from her tears. He just wanted to hold her in his arms like this for all eternity, ensuring that she was safe from harm and sadness and those who want to hurt her.

_Like Neferet_, he thought, suppressing a shudder. He had told her about how she wanted to turn her against her friends, but he didn't think she'd understood what lengths Neferet would go to to get what she wanted. Stevie Rae had immediately told Rephaim that she would always stand by her friends, the Goddess, and Light, which he had already known, but it had increased his worry for her. What would Neferet do if and when she realized Stevie Rae had truly chosen Light? Rephaim knew one thing for sure: he would never, ever let anyone harm his Stevie Rae. Not as long as he still drew a breath, and maybe even after that.

But there was still the matter of how he would be able to keep her safe. Even though he knew he would never let anyone harm her, he knew he would never be able to betray his father. After all, he had been Kalona's favored son for centuries; that type of bond didn't just go away. What would he do if keeping Stevie Rae safe meant betraying his father? Rephaim could've shouted in frustration, simply because he knew it would most likely come to that. How would he be able to protect her then?

_She needs a warrior. _The traitorous thought passed through his mind almost instantly. _A Warrior's Oath would be enough to break any other ties I have. If I was her warrior—_

_No, _Rephaim interrupted his own thoughts, _I am not a Son of Erebus warrior. _He knew that. He had always known that. And he had even accepted it.

_Only because Erebus wasn't the warrior of Nyx, _Rephaim's sub consciousness argued. _Kalona was, which gives you every right to be the warrior of a High Priestess if you want too._

_But you don't, _Rephaim's mind argued, _because that would mean betraying Father, and you can't do that._

_Well, it wouldn't be betraying him. After all, he trained you to be the best warrior in history, _Rephaim's heart said.

_Why shouldn't I use the skills he's taught me to protect the one I love, _Rephaim thought. _Wait—love? Did I seriously just say that I loved her?_

_Yes! _his heart shouted.

_No! You are a monster. You cannot love anyone! And even if you did love her, she would never love you back, _Rephaim's mind argued.

_Wrong! She could love you; she does love you. Why else would she fall asleep in your arms? _Rephaim's heart said.

_Because you kind of kidnapped her_, Rephaim's mind reminded him.

_Shut up_, Rephaim's heart said to his head. _Even if that's true,_ she _asked_ you _to lay down with her_.

_If you would just think rationally about this_ —

_Love isn't rational!_ His heart screamed, interrupting his mind. _Which is why it always works out when you follow your heart._

_What if I just asked her about it? _Rephaim thought_. What's the worst that could happen?_

_She could reject you, _his mind answered_._

_She wouldn't, _his heart insisted.

_Father could find out, _his mind said_._

_He hasn't found out about the imprint, _his heart countered_. Your mind is being too rational; you have to trust your heart. Just ask her—give her your Oath. She will say yes; just look at how much she already trusts you._

Rephaim looked down at the sleeping priestess in his arms. Without realizing he was doing it, he reached his hand up and trailed his fingers through her beautiful blonde curls. He loved her; he knew that without a doubt. He didn't know how or why it was possible, but he loved her, oh, so much.

She stirred a little in her sleep, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in the feathers at his shoulder.

_Just ask her_, his heart prompted.

There was no argument from his mind/good sense.

"Stevie Rae," he whispered.

"Huh?" she asked sleepily, waking up just a little.

"I, uh, wanted to ask you something," he said hesitantly.

"What?" she asked softly, propping herself up on her elbow so she could look into his eyes, but her other arm was still draped around him.

"Ummm…" Rephaim's voice trailed off. _Just say it!_ He screamed at himself.

"I, uh, was wondering…" Rephaim tried.

"Yes," Stevie Rae prompted.

_Come on!_ He shouted at himself. _Spit it out already!_

"If…" His heart was racing, and he was having trouble breathing, and his mind was whirling.

"If…" Stevie Rae echoed.

"If you wanted me to take you back to the House of Night or just stay here. It's almost sunrise," he said quickly, and if it wasn't covered by the feathers, Stevie Rae would have seen him blushing profusely.

_Coward!_ His heart screamed.

_You fool!_ His mind screamed.

Rephaim wanted to bang his head against a wall at his own stupidity.

"Oh, ummm…" Stevie Rae said. "If I said I wanted to stay here, would you stay here with me?"

"I would," Rephaim answered immediately.

"You don't have to get back to your daddy?" Stevie Rae questioned.

"I will think of something to tell him when I return tomorrow night," Rephaim said.

Stevie Rae gave him a small smile. "Then I wanna stay here with you," she said, laying back down and wrapping her arms around him, an action he eagerly mirrored.

Then, all in one motion, he scooped her up and stood, walking towards the stairs.

"Rephaim!" she squealed, surprised by his sudden movement.

She was already laughing when Rephaim asked, "What?"

"Where are we goin'?" she asked like it should have been obvious as he reached the bottom of the stairs.

"The basement, of course. It's almost sunrise," he said like it should have been obvious.

"But why are you carryin' me?" she asked.

Rephaim simply shrugged and carried her down into the basement. He gently laid her down and said, "Stay here. I'll go get some blankets."

Stevie Rae laughed and shook her head, sitting up. "Couldn't I have just helped ya with that on our way down?"

"No," Rephaim said.

"Then can't I help ya with that now?"

"No."

"Why not?" she asked.

"Because I am getting the blankets, and you are lying down," Rephaim said, giving her an expectant look.

Stevie Rae glared at him, and he returned the stare with the same look. After a moment, she laughed and lay down. "Hurry back," she whispered.

"As you wish," he murmered, turning to walk up the stairs.

"Rephaim," she called after him, propping herself up on her elbow.

"Yes?" he asked.

"You don't need to use that tone with me."

"What tone?" he asked, turning around to face her.

"The 'as you wish.' It's not like you're some slave or something," Stevie Rae said.

Rephaim blinked in surprise. His father had always insisted that he answer with that. "Then what would you have me say?" he asked, kneeling down beside her.

"Anything else," she whispered.

"As you—" he stopped as she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Okay. I will hurry back."

She rewarded him with a smile. "'Kay," she mumbled sleepily.

When Rephaim made his final trip back down, it was passed sunrise, and she was already asleep. Like he had the last time, he covered her gently with a blanket. She didn't stir, so Rephaim decided to slide a pillow under her head.

This time, she stirred, but she didn't open her eyes. Rephaim froze. "Rephaim?" she asked, reaching up and touching his wrist. His hand was gently lifting her head while the other hand slid the pillow under her head.

"Yes?" he replied softly, softer than he thought himself capable of. He pulled his hand out from under her head, but her fingers trailed from his wrist to his hand.

"Stay with me?" she asked, but her voice seemed to fade away by the second. She slowly intertwined her fingers with his.

His answer came from the depths of his soul that had been buried so deep, he hadn't even known they were there. "Always."

Her smile stayed on her face even as she fell asleep once again. Rephaim lay down next to her, but he made sure he was between her and the doorway. If anyone found them, they would have to go through him to get to her. She automatically curled up next to him, not even waking up, so Rephaim put his other arm around her but still held her hand in his with the other. Eventually, he, too, fell asleep with his High Priestess in his arms.

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**A/N**

**Fluff with just a touch of foreshadowing and a dab inner turmoil. My fav recipe.**

**R&R pretty please! You know you want to!**

**~Smiley**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**

**Special thanks to IloveZimandNny16 and Shaunee-MissFirexox for reviewing! You guys rock and I really appreciate your support.**

**Disclaimer: I STILL DO NOT OWN HON OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS OR THE GENERAL PLOTLINE!**

**~Smiley**

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Chapter 2: Meanwhile…

_Kalona_

Kalona simply waited for Neferet to return. He still could almost not believe it. Because of the Goddess, he was still a free… something. He wasn't a man, but he wasn't exactly an immortal anymore either. But none of that mattered. The point was he was free, and he always had been. If Nyx hadn't stepped in and made him resurrect Stark… he nearly shuddered at the thought. But now he knew all too well that he had never been under the Queen Tsi-Sgili's control.

However, he knew he must continue to pretend to be. Neferet still planned on capturing and using the Red One. What the Tsi-Sgili didn't know is that he would be there to use Stevie Rae for his own personal means. The Red High Priestess would not only give him leverage with Zoey and her insignificant group of friends, but she would also give him leverage with the goddess.

Kalona laughed aloud. Light always underestimated the viciousness of Darkness…

_Zoey_

"Hey, guys, do any of you know where Stevie Rae went?" I asked, only to be answered with shaking heads and rolling eyes.

Then Damien spoke up, goddess bless him. "She said she needed to spend some time alone with her element," he managed while he wiped his eyes and blew his nose.

That seemed to jog the Twins memories. "Oh yeah," Erin said.

"But she said she was gonna follow us inside later," Shaunee remembered.

"She seem to do a lot of that lately," Kramisha suddenly chimed.

"A lot of what?" I asked, confused.

"Going off and spending some quality time with earth," she replied.

"Should I go looking for her?" I prompted.

"No. She come back when she ready," Kramisha said like it was nothing.

But it was far from nothing. I mean, I had heard about the thing where the Raven Mocker showed up when she was communing with the earth—and the white bull, for that matter. Even though Stevie Rae insisted it was nothing, the thought that it could have been Rephaim just gave me the heebie-jeebies.

Meanwhile, Kramisha had been studying me. "Don't worry," she said. "My High Priestess know hows to handle herself."

"Yeah, yeah, you're right," I mumbled, shaking it off. "We should all just go to bed. It's been a long day."

"Night," about ten different kids corrected.

"Whatever," I said. "We should still get some sleep. We'll need to be well rested for whatever's coming next."

Agreements and good nights/days were mumbled and we all went to our respective rooms, and Erik and Darius went with Damien to the boys' dorm before continuing to where they were staying. I was glad Erik and I had decided to be friends. Even with all the bullpoopie that went down when we were dating, I was glad we didn't have to hate each other. It would just be too tiring, and I honestly didn't need or want any more drama on top of the drama I already have (and seriously don't want).

I was also majorly glad Stark was staying with me in my room tonight. I didn't really want to be alone, especially when Stevie Rae was nowhere to be seen.

"So where is bumpkin?" Aphrodite asked, jerking me back to reality.

"I don't know," I replied.

"Fantastic," she said under her breath. "What are you going to do about Kalona and the Raven Mockers sure to be crawling around Tulsa any day now?" she asked.

"I don't know," I repeated, slightly agitated.

"Do you know what you're going to do about Neferet?"

"No! I have absolutely no clue! And, quite frankly, I'm way too tired to do anything right now," I said.

"But you know she was lying her ass off, right?" Aphrodite inquired.

"Aphrodite, I'm tired and upset, not stupid."

"Just making sure," she said and walked passed my room, where I stopped with Stark.

"Good night to you too," I mumbled before walking into my warm, welcoming room. Thankfully, the curtains were drawn, so Stark didn't have any problem, even though it was passed dawn. All I could do was climb into the tiny bed with Stark, still in my depressing funeral dress, and sleep, complaining Nala and all.

_Neferet_

She paced back and forth in the living room of the penthouse suite, devising the next step in their plan. Kalona sat on the leather couch, hardly contributing. Of course, that was of no matter to Neferet. So long as he contributed when she really wanted him to. That and she already knew what she wanted to happen, it was just a matter of putting that plan into action.

"Tomorrow night, Stevie Rae will leave campus, and when she does, I want you—"

"How will you insure that the Red One will leave the campus?" Kalona interrupted.

"I will not need to. She often leaves on her own devices. I will simply alert you when she does. As I was saying," Neferet continued coldly, "when she does leave, I want you and Rephaim to be ready to hunt her down and—"

"Would it not be easier if I first found my remaining sons and got them to help insure our victory?" Kalona interrupted again.

"I will answer you, my dear Consort, when I finish, _uninterrupted_." Neferet smiled with forced sweetness. "You and Rephaim will track her down and us Darkness to bind her. I do not mind if you chase her for a while first, but because vampyres can't be drugged, you will have to use Darkness to drain her of blood until she passes out. When she does, bring her back here."

Neferet paused and looked expectantly at Kalona. Kalona just stared back at her. "Well?" Neferet practically shrieked.

"Would it not be easier to wait until I have gathered my other sons to help us insure our victory? After all, you constantly say that the Red One is not to be underestimated," Kalona suggested.

"No. I will not wait any longer. After the _tragic_ death of her _poor, innocent_ friend, she is already weakened." Neferet sneered the words, and the Darkness in the shadows around her trembled. "You and Rephaim shall be enough. After we have her, you may shepherd your children back to you." Neferet looked around, as if to suddenly realize something was missing. "Speaking of your children, what happened to your favored?"

"Rephaim often leaves to spy on Zoey and her friends, especially the Red One. I suppose that's what he's doing now," Kalona said.

"How very _interesting_," Neferet observed. The tone of her voice had the Darkness quivering and multiplying. "Well it seems Rephaim is the little expert on Stevie Rae, so it stands to reason that he will be in charge of watching her and ensuring she does not escape."

"I'm sure he will be more than capable of that once she is up here, far away from the earth," Kalona agreed.

Neferet smiled. "Of course he will, just like you will be more than capable of pleasing me tonight," she said icily.

Kalona hated every second of this, but he knew it had to be done. "As you wish…"

_Kramisha_

It was far passed dawn, and Kramisha knew she should be asleep. But she couldn't. That feeling in the pit of her stomach just kept on getting worse and worse, and it just wouldn't go away. She sighed and just got up. She sat at the desk in her room at the House of Night, flicking on the table lamp. The three poems about Stevie Rae were still there, side by side, right where she left them.

Dang it! She hated it when she couldn't figure out her own poems, especially when she wanted to. The worst part was that Stevie Rae knew exactly what they were about, but she still continued to claim she had no idea. Kramisha had kept her promise not to tell anyone about it, but she wanted help to figure them out.

At least Dragon was on the case. He was smart; He could help.

Then she felt it: another poem. "Crap, crap, crap," she murmured, grabbing for a pencil and her purple notebook paper. Then she wrote her latest poem:

_The world has only seen what I have done_

_And her world only sees what I could be_

_But courage to tell her, I have none_

_She would never love a monster like me_

_Although the world could never accept him_

_My heart already has; love without thought_

_I know our chances are ever so slim_

_But I know that love was all that he sought_

When Kramisha was done, she didn't even look at the poem. She knew what it said, and she knew it was about Stevie Rae again. But she also knew that Stevie Rae was off doing Goddess-knows-what again, probably with that human guy. Kramisha would talk to her tomorrow.

Besides, she was incapable of doing anything at the moment; because once she had finished writing, her head hit the desk with a thud and she was out cold, fast asleep.

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**A/N**

**R&R pretty, pretty please! It would make me super happy!**

**Just so everyone knows, I'm still working on all my other stories; everything is a work in progress! The reason for delayed updates comes down to a busy summer and there are five different stories I'm working on. But don't worry; I'm working on each and every one of the next chapters for each and every one of the stories.**

**~Smiley**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**

**Thanks to all who reviewed! Specifically…**

**-Guest**

**-IloveZimandNny16**

**-houseofnightfan**

**-Bebe465**

**-Fan Girly**

**And inquiete**

**You guys are all awesome! Hope you (and everyone who reads this) enjoys Chapter 3!**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own HON or any of the awesome, fantastic, amazing, funny, creative, incredible characters!**

**~Smiley**

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Chapter Three: The next day (and by that I mean night)

_Rephaim_

Once again, Rephaim awoke to the sound of Stevie Rae's cell phone. It was just before sunset, so Stevie Rae didn't stir. Rephaim continued to lie next to her, waiting for the noise to stop and for his priestess to awaken.

Eventually, the music did stop, but less than a minute later, it started up again. Rephaim sighed; Stevie Rae still didn't stir. The noise stopped and started up again about four or five times more.

_Someone really wants to talk to her_, Rephaim thought. Then the phone beeped five times. Rephaim tried to ignore the stupid devise. _Next time, I'll ask her to make it so the thing doesn't make any noise._

_But, of course, there really shouldn't be a next time…_

Instead of dwelling on the annoyance that thing caused for him or how he had absolutely no common sense when it came to their relationship, he focused on his Red One. She snored softly in his arms, something he had always thought was cute, and her blonde curls were messy from sleeping. The red tattoos that framed her face looked so natural there, and she looked completely at peace. But, he also noted, she looked so, so young. And, like it had the first time, his heart clenched at the thought of how vulnerable her youth made her.

_She needs a warrior. _The traitorous thought passed through his mind.

_Oh, not this again,_ he scolded himself, pushing the thought away, even though he silently admitted it was true. However, he would never, ever admit it aloud.

He allowed his fingers to trail through her hair and his hand to cup her sweet face. _Warrior or not, she is mine, and I will not let anyone or anything hurt her_, he silently vowed.

But that's just the thing about silent vows. If you break them, no one will know but you. And then you're the only person you're letting down.

Rephaim knew the sun had finally set when her beautiful blue eyes fluttered open, and she blinked several times. "Rephaim?" she asked, sitting up and using one hand to rub her eyes. The other hand was still holding Rephaim's.

"I'm here," he answered softly.

She smiled, still rubbing her eyes. Then, her eyes travelled down to where their fingers were still intertwined, and she pulled her hand free.

Rephaim tried not to feel the absence of her hand in his like some huge, gaping hole where his heart should be. He knew that her reaction was normal, even expected. It was just that no one had told his heart that it was expected.

But then she did something completely unexpected. She wrapped both her arms around him and rubbed her face against his chest before finally squeezing him tight and staying still with her eyes closed. Obviously, Rephaim was shocked, so it took a minute for him to return the embrace, but when he did, he hugged her back with everything he had inside him.

Finally, he sighed and picked her up, yet again, and went towards the stairs. After all, he had to take her home sometime. Instead of protesting, Stevie Rae buried her face in the feathers at his shoulder.

"Where," she yawned, but it was a little incomprehensible, so she tried again. "Where are we goin'?"

"It's passed sunrise," Rephaim said as if that would explain everything. "I have to bring you back home."

"Nu-uh," Stevie Rae protested weakly as she tried to get Rephaim to put her down, even though he was already on the stairs. She didn't want to leave him! Not yet…

"Stevie Rae!" Rephaim exclaimed as Stevie Rae managed to struggle enough to send both of them crashing down on the steps with Rephaim on top of her.

"It-it's not passed sunrise," Stevie Rae said sleepily, even though she knew that the sun had already hidden in the west.

"Yes, it is," Rephaim argued, but didn't try to move his hands from either side of her head, which just so happens to be where he caught himself.

"No," Stevie Rae lied.

"Then how are you awake?" Rephaim asked matter-of-factly.

"I'm not. I'm just… talking in my sleep," Stevie Rae explained.

Rephaim rolled his eyes, something he had never really done before. "Your eyes are open."

"My brothers taught me the trick. It comes in handy sometimes," Stevie Rae replied.

Rephaim grunted, and Stevie Rae assumed it was guy language for thinking she was ridiculous. "And you were struggling to get me to put you down five seconds ago."

"So it's against the law or somethin' for me to toss and turn in my sleep?" she questioned.

Rephaim sighed. "You never toss or turn in your sleep," he stated, "so you are not asleep. On top of that, you are also answering me."

"Well, excuse me for having realistic dreams," she said sarcastically.

Rephaim laughed, and Stevie Rae joined in while cherishing every second of it. She wanted to stay right there, laughing with him, for all time, but little did she know how everything would go downhill from there.

"So why don't you tell me the truth now," Rephaim said through his laughter.

"Okay, so, maybe I'm not able to sleep with my eyes open. My brothers can though. They tried to teach me, but I couldn't get the hang of it," she babbled. "And I haven't talked or tossed or turned in my sleep ever since I died and un-died." She shrugged. "I haven't dreamed either."

Rephaim shifted his weight so he wasn't crushing her, even though he was surprisingly light considering how big he was. "Do you miss them?"

"Miss what? Dreams? Kinda, but not having dreams also means not having nightmares, so I guess it's for the better," she said, a strange look in her eyes giving Rephaim the impression that if she could, she would have a lot of nightmares. He had the decency to change the subject.

"I meant your brothers, Stevie Rae," Rephaim clarified.

"My brothers? Well, of course I miss 'em. They were downright annoying right up to the day I was marked, but boys will be boys." She giggled, remembering her obnoxious brothers, but she knew that they always had and always will have her back. Rephaim wondered if he should take offence to that, but then he remembered that he wasn't a boy or a man, he was simply male. It was all too easy to forget that when he was around her. "I haven't spoken to them in a while, but I'm pretty sure my mama told 'em I'm alive…or at least not dead," she continued.

Rephaim smiled through his eyes at her. "So you have spoken to your mother!" he said.

Stevie Rae laughed, but almost as suddenly as it started, the laughter died on her lips as the memory filled her eyes. "Yeah…she came to the school the other night."

"What? What is it?" Rephaim said, reading the emotions scribbled on her face. "Tell me."

Stevie Rae shook her head and closed her eyes in a failing attempt to not spill her tears. Her eyelashes were drenched, but at least there wasn't anything streaming down her face…yet. As if by instinct, Rephaim shifted his weight to one arm and used the other to gently wipe her tears away. She kept on shaking her head, so Rephaim rolled onto his back, pulling Stevie Rae up on top of him. Automatically, she buried her face in his chest, and he rubbed her back with one hand and stroked her curls with the other.

When she was on the verge of sobbing, Rephaim sat up a little and made her look him in the eyes. "Stevie Rae," he said. "You can tell me anything. I'm here for you, forever and always."

His words spoke to her soul, and his words gave her the strength to meet his worried gaze. She wasn't even surprised to see his eyes were a chestnut brown, like they were a shade darker than amber. She could've smiled if she didn't have to talk about the reason _why_ her mama had been at the school.

"Why are you upset?" Rephaim asked gently. "Weren't you happy to see your mother?"

She nodded. "No, I loved seein' her. It's just that she was…" Stevie Rae choked on a sob as her words trailed off, and Rephaim hugged her tightly to him for a moment before pulling back and lifting her chin.

"How about we try just answering questions?" Rephaim suggested, and Stevie Rae nodded.

"How did you find your mother was at the school?" Rephaim asked.

"I-I heard somebody cryin'," Stevie Rae stuttered.

"Who was crying?" Rephaim prompted, cupping her face in his hand.

"Mama," she answered shakily.

"Why?"

"'Cause she was there to have a funeral for me," she said, and burst into tears all over again. It was then Rephaim understood. She was crying because she missed her mother and because she felt guilty for not telling her earlier. Stevie Rae was upset that she put her mother, and the rest of her family, through the emotional trauma of thinking she was dead. He rubbed her back and held her close, letting her cry in his arms.

_It must be strange, having someone you love think you were dead and then trying to convince them otherwise_, Rephaim thought.

"She thought I was a ghost at first," Stevie Rae continued even though her face was still buried in the feathers at his shoulder, subconsciously deciding to spill her guts to Rephaim. "And she went on about how she would come visit me lots if the House of Night was the place I wanted to haunt…"

Rephaim listened quietly while she told him all about her mother's visit. The words broke free from her lips like water would break free from a dam, and she spilled everything from convincing her mama she wasn't dead anymore to her talking about Rephaim. Stevie Rae had enough self-control to stop herself from telling him the exact words used, so she ended up brushing over that part of the conversation. However, she did tell him that he would be getting a "big ol' hug" from Mama when she sees him.

The more Stevie Rae spoke, the better she started to feel, and she ended up blurting a lot about her family and her old friends from a town called Henrietta. She babbled about her brothers (and their crazy antics), watching movies after having a family dinner, her dad teaching her to shoot a gun, spending mother-daughter time, being "daddy's little girl", getting marked and moving, and even the parent visitation nights.

Rephaim highly doubted she was processing what she was saying to him, but he was fine to sit and listen as long as it was making her feel better. Actually, the "talking thing" was kind of therapeutic to both of them; Stevie Rae was felt like the sky was being lifted from her shoulders, and Rephaim got to hear what a real family was like, something he secretly wished he had.

Eventually, the water flowing from her dam of words slowed and stopped, and she relaxed in Rephaim's arms. Her tears had dried, but Rephaim was still a little damp, not that either of them minded. Rephaim was still rubbing her back in small circles, and Stevie Rae had her arms around him.

They stayed silent for a very long time, and just when Rephaim was starting to suspect that Stevie Rae had talked herself to sleep, she surprised him by saying, "I'm real sorry, Rephaim."

Rephaim pulled back so he could meet her eyes. "By all the gods, Stevie Rae, why on earth are you sorry?"

"'Cause I keep cryin' and gettin' ya all wet and—" Stevie Rae was cut off abruptly when Rephaim all but crushed her in a hug, an embrace she eagerly returned.

"Do not ever apologize for emotions, _a-qua-da-nv-do_," Rephaim said, shocking both of them when he said the last word in Cherokee.

"What's aquadanvdoe?" Stevie Rae asked.

"_A-qua-da-nv-do_," Rephaim corrected.

"Yeah that," she agreed.

Rephaim blinked. He knew perfectly well what that meant, but he sure as hell wasn't going to tell her. "I-I'm not going to tell you," he said.

"What? Oh, c'mon, Rephaim! What does it mean?" she complained.

Rephaim shook his head. "No," he said, but she made huge puppy-dog eyes and pouted, which only caused Rephaim to laugh. It was almost too easy—too natural—to scoop her up in his arms and continue up the stairs.

"Please?" she begged from his arms.

"Maybe I'll tell you someday, _a-qua-da-nv-do_," he said as he made it updstairs.

She crossed her arms. "But for now I'm just gonna hafta hope someday comes sooner rather than later?" Stevie Rae said.

"Yes." Stevie Rae rolled her eyes, and Rephaim laughed, which caused her to stumble in her I'm-mad-at-you façade.

"You know I can walk by myself," she said, changing the subject.

"I know," Rephaim agreed, "but that doesn't mean I'm going to let you down."

Stevie Rae rolled her eyes again, but she didn't really complain. In fact, neither of them said anything for a little bit; they simply stole a moment of being together and feeling complete.

Surprisingly, it was Rephaim who broke the silence once they stepped outside. "Are you okay to fly?" he asked. As much as he would rather walk (because that would mean more time together), he knew just as well as her that her friends and his father would be looking for them soon, and they needed to part ways.

"I don't wanna go back yet," Stevie Rae said.

"You know I don't either, but they'll be looking for us soon," Rephaim said, and Stevie Rae sighed.

"Yeah, I know," she whispered, and she wrapped her arms around him tightly. "Let's go."

Rephaim's strong wings carried them up and up so no one below could see them. Stevie Rae had her face buried in Rephaim's neck, but even she felt the serenity of the night air passing around them. However, that night air couldn't carry the sounds of Stevie Rae's forgotten cell phone to them, nor could it warn them about what was coming next…

* * *

**A/N**

**Okay, I got agwadantogi (the word I originally used) from a Cherokee lesson video on YouTube, so I'm not really sure if I wrote it right. Then I found a-qua-da-nv-do on a much more legit looking website, so I put that in instead. Sorry for any confusion! And for those of you who don't know what it means, I must ask that you don't look it up on Google or something. It's gonna come up a lot in the story, and it foreshadows and symbolizes something very important. So, please, don't look it up. I promise I'll tell you what it means eventually. You might even find out what it means before Stevie Rae does.**

**Also, there was some more foreshadowing in there, just so you know. I have the majority of this story all planned out…it's just a matter of putting my thoughts into words.**

**Pretty please review!**

**~Smiley**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N**

**Sorry for not updating sooner! I've just started high school and I have a ton of work, but I'm doing the best I can. I won't give up on any of my stories, just please bear with me if the chapters are updated a little farther apart than what you would like.**

**Anyway, thanks to all who reviewed! Specifically…**

**-IloveZimandNny16: OMG I heart ice age and I was laughing so hard when I read that part of your review!**

**-inquiete: now that you mention it, I guess she could ask Grandma Redbird, and I may have to throw that in there. However, it's a shame she never gets the chance to…**

**-MrsPamelaScissorhands: Thanks!**

**-Guest: Thanks for being into the story! Here's your new chapter!**

**You guys rock! Thanks for your support, and I hope I don't let you down! Also, I'm already more than halfway done with the next chapter, so expect an update soon! I actually planned on writing the next two chapters as one, but it ended up being far too long. Therefore, you get two chapters that will (hopefully) be posted soon after the other. Btw, sorry that this is a looooong AN.**

**Disclaimer: Hello? Do I look or sound or write like the goddesses known as P.C. and Kristen Cast? No. That's stupid. If I owned HON or the characters or the plot, this would be in a bookstore, not on a website. And if I owned any aspect of HON, there would have been more Stephaim in Hidden. In case I haven't made myself clear, I DO NOT OWN ANY PART OF HON! IT ALL BELONGS TO P.C. AND KRISTEN CAST!**

**~Smiley**

* * *

Chapter Four: Rephaim dropped Stevie Rae back at the House of Night

Aphrodite

"Crap," Aphrodite gasped as her vision went red. She had been drinking her breakfast in the girls' common room with Zoey and Stark, and, of course, her handsome warrior, wondering where the hell Stevie Rae was (Zoey had informed them that her roommate had, in fact, not returned that evening) when she fell away from reality. Well, it was more like someone had pushed the fast forward button on reality and she was the lucky one who got carried away with it.

She was having trouble seeing much of anything. It was dark, and even though she was wrapped in comfortable blankets, whoever Aphrodite was at this moment was scared to death.

"Quickly, _a-qua-da-nv-do_. Drink before they realize you've awakened," a deep, male voice said. Aphrodite felt comforted by the voice, but not by the words. Aphrodite couldn't help feeling she had heard this voice somewhere before…

_Aqwada-what? _Aphrodite thought.

"Where am I?" Aphrodite heard herself ask, but her voice was not her own. She would recognize that twang anywhere…

"Please, Stevie Rae, drink first! You must heal! Quickly, before they come in here—" The guy's voice was hushed but his tone was urgent.

"Rephaim, where am I?" Stevie Rae interrupted_. Oh shit! The birdboy again?_ Aphrodite thought.

"I'll tell you once you are healed!" the guy, who was apparently Rephaim, insisted, and all of a sudden the room was filled with the scent of his blood. He must have slashed his wrist with his beak or something.

Aphrodite could feel Stevie Rae's bloodlust, but her will was stronger than her instinct. "Rephaim, what the hell is going on?" she asked, trying to ignore his offered wrist and failing miserably.

"Please, Stevie Rae. Heal before they do you more harm," Rephaim answered, his voice so emotional even Aphrodite, the self-proclaimed Best Bitch, could hear his heart breaking.

_WTF? _Aphrodite thought.

"Rephaim—" Stevie Rae was silenced by a hand over her mouth. The second his blood hit her tongue, she leaned into him and grabbed his wrist, holding him there. Aphrodite heard his moan as she drank from him, and she couldn't help but feel out of place. Hell, she did not want to see—or rather, hear, because she couldn't exactly see much of anything—this little interaction.

However, Aphrodite could tell one thing for certain: Stevie Rae and Rephaim were imprinted.

_Stevie Rae_

It hadn't been five minutes, and already she was on the verge of running after him.

It had been absolute stress the second she had set foot back on the campus. Rephaim gave her one last parting hug before he flew off, but he didn't say a word. Stevie Rae hadn't either. Actions sometimes speak louder than words, and she heard the message loud and clear.

The second the dark, moonless sky had swallowed him, Kramisha popped outta the shadows, waving purple notebook paper in her face.

"Crap, Kramisha. Another one?" Stevie Rae asked, trying and failing to swallow the lump of fear lodged in her throat.

"Hells yes. And don't you's even think 'bout tellin' me you don't know shit," Kramisha said.

"Please, not right now, Kramisha. I seriously don't think I can handle another one right now." Stevie Rae tried to get out of it.

"Well, that's just too bad. You's a High Priestess, so you's need to get use to having all kinds of stress." Kramisha handed her the paper, and Stevie Rae's traitorous hand closed around it.

What a surprise? It was about her and Rephaim. Again.

It kind of switched point of views in the middle; she was pretty sure the first half was in his and the second have was in hers.

Crap.

"Well?" Kramisha finally asked.

Stevie Rae held back tears and said, "I have no idea what this one is about."

"Bullshit," Kramisha said. "Don't even try that on me, priestess."

Stevie Rae sighed and stared at the ground. She felt like the weight of the world was on her shoulders. Were four poems really necessary?

"Stevie Rae, I don't think you can deal with this all by yourself. Maybe I can help." Kramisha's voice was uncharacteristically soft.

Stevie Rae sighed again. She really did need to talk to someone; why not Kramisha? After all, she had kept quiet about the other three poems…

"Kramisha, I really wanna tell ya, but it's super complicated and I don't even understand most of it myself," she heard herself say.

"Well, then maybe you should talk to yourself and your earth before you talk to me or Zoey or anyone else. And once you've done that, come talk to me," Kramisha said, and smiled at her empathetically.

"Thanks, Kramisha. I think I might just hafta do that," Stevie Rae said, looking up from the ground and smiling back at her, but then she turned and began to leave the campus again.

"No prob. I still have your back, High Priestess!" Kramisha called after her.

_I'm gonna have to make her a trophy that says 'World's Best Poet Laureate'_, Stevie Rae thought as she headed towards…where the heck was she going?

_The woods, naturally_, Stevie Rae answered her own question. Stevie Rae didn't question her subconscious decision and let her feet carry her wherever they wanted to go…

_Kalona_

Rephaim had not yet returned when the phone rang.

"Yes?" Kalona answered.

"She's leaving. She returned and left again." Neferet's cold voice informed him. "Go. Immediately."

"As you wish," Kalona answered, and he heard the clicking noise that informed him she had hung up.

"Where is he?" Kalona asked aloud, and as if he had been conjured by his thoughts, Rephaim appeared in the doorway.

"Where is who, Father?" Rephaim asked, cocky his head to the side.

"Never mind. You have returned." Kalona pushed past his son to step out onto the balcony. Rephaim remained in the doorway. "Now we must go."

"Where to?" Rephaim asked from the doorway.

"We will be tracking the Red One tonight. Neferet has ordered her capture."

"But Father, aren't you not under her control? Why are you still taking orders from—"

"I take orders from no one!" Kalona exploded. Then he continued in a much calmer voice. "No, but I intend to use the Red High Priestess for my own means, and Tsi Sgili will not know because she is too busy masquerading as the perfect priestess of the Tulsa House of Night. She will be there more often than she is here, and that is how we will be able to use the Red One for our own means."

"Father, are you sure this is wise? You have said that Nyx is protective of her High Priestesses—"

"Ah, but the goddess also believes in free will, so as long as Stevie Rae is not killed, Nyx will not intervene," Kalona explained, cutting off his son yet again. "Now, let us take to the skies, my son. You will fly north, and I will scan the rest of the city and meet you there. Do you understand?"

"How do you suppose we restrain her?" Rephaim asked.

"We will simply use the tendrils of Darkness to bind her and weaken her until we can carry her back here," Kalona answered as if it were obvious. He waited for his favored son to answer him, and when he did not, he prompted, "Well?"

Rephaim's hesitation was overlooked when he answered, "As you wish, Father."

"Good," Kalona said as the two winged beings launched themselves into a moonless sky.

* * *

**A/N**

**Okay, well that's chapter 4! Chapter 5 should be up really soon, and then I'll try to update on some other Fanfics. Hope you enjoyed! And if you have taken the time to read this chapter, please take another second to leave a little review. That would earn you a cookie and another chapter!**

**Also, I have the next chapter started (5 pages already written) and planned out. You should find out who was calling Stevie Rae, what Rephaim is going to do, meet a new character, someone will make an appearance, and then they're gonna—**

**No. No more. No more spoilers. You must read the next chapter (and review! =D )to find out. Mwhahahaha!**

**~Smiley**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N**

**Thanks to houseofnightfan, Stephaim Fan, and IloveZimandNny16 for reviewing! You guys are amazing, and I'm so grateful for your continued support!**

**Enjoy the 5****th**** chapter…**

**Disclaimer: I believe I'm gonna bring Nisroc to help me out with this.**

**Smiley: Hello, Nisroc! *gives him two really big hugs* (one from me and one from his many, many fangirls)**

**Nisroc: Hello…**

**Smiley: So, do I own HON?**

**Nisroc: Own the ssssseriesss, you do not.**

**Smiley: *brief fangirling moment* Well, do I own the characters, like you, Rephaim, Stevie Rae, Kalona…**

**Nisroc: Own ussss, you do not.**

**Smiley: Oh. Okay. Glad we're clear! Thanks for your help!**

**~Smiley**

* * *

Chapter Five: Stevie Rae left the House of Night

_Stevie Rae_

She felt like she was missing something, but she just couldn't tell what it was.

Then she remembered: she had left her phone in the basement of the Gilcrease Mansion. _Crap._

It was too easy for her to jog back to the place she had so recently been; of course, it was strange not having Rephaim with her. It was too easy for her to run down to the basement, grab her phone, and leave while checking her five missed calls.

"Whoa," she said aloud. One was from Kramisha. No message, but she had already talked to her. The other four were from Sammy, her older brother. He had left a message for every call.

"_Hey, Stevie Rae. Ummm…I, uh, know you're probably not up yet, but, uh, Mama just came home and told us that you weren't dead…I wanted to know if it were true. So, uh, if you're, ya know, not dead, can ya please call me back? Please?"_

"Sammy," Stevie Rae whispered as she listened to her brother's voice. She had always been closest to Sammy, even though he was the oldest and she was the youngest.

"_Hey, I was just wonderin'…if you're not dead, why didn't ya let us know sooner? Hell, Stevie Rae, do ya know how upset we all were when we heard that?! Wait…God, I sound like a complete jerk, don't I? My sister comes back from the dead and I'm complainin' 'bout how we…never mind. I just wanna know if it's true, but I guess 'cause the sun hasn't exactly set yet that you're still sleepin', but try to call me back."_

"God, Sammy, I wanted to tell ya sooner…" Stevie Rae whispered, but she listened to the next message.

"_Stevie Rae, this is drivin' me crazy! Please, I know you're a deep sleeper, but can you really sleep through all this? God, I guess some things never do change, huh, baby sis? Call me back when ya wake up."_

Stevie Rae laughed, but there were tears in her eyes. She remembered how Sammy used to give her hell when she slept through her alarm and he heard it in the next room, or how she would be able to sleep through the tractor engine on Saturday mornings…She listened to the last message.

"_So, uh, it's passed sunset now, and I know I have to be gettin' kinda annoyin', but I would really 'preciate it if you would just call me back...I just need to hear your voice again…need to know that you're really back…please call me."_

Stevie Rae had Sammy on speed dial. He picked up on the first ring.

"Stevie Rae?" he asked, his voice filled to the brim with hope.

"Yeah," Stevie Rae managed to breathe, her eyes overflowing with tears.

"Holy shit! Is it really you?" Sammy asked, sounding like he was having trouble believing it.

"Yeah," Stevie Rae repeated, and she tried to choke back a sob.

"My sister's alive," Sammy breathed. Stevie Rae could totally picture him at this moment. He held the phone with both hands because he was afraid he would be too shocked and drop it, and his face was blank and unemotional because he had been working hard to try and not get his hopes up. But the moment she had confirmed that she was, in fact, not dead, he spread his arms wide and turned his face to the sky. He made a fist with one hand and squeezed his phone with the other, and his faced was basked in tears and moonlight as he screamed, "My sister's alive!"

Stevie Rae couldn't help but laugh through her tears as her brother's cry sounded through the phone.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm alive, Sammy," Stevie Rae sobbed, and she tried and failed to pull herself together. She had had no idea how much she had needed to hear her brother's voice again, and, although she was close to her other two brothers, Sammy had always been the closest. He had always been there, and she had been ignoring the void in her life his absence had left.

"So, how ya been?" Sammy asked, and Stevie Rae was forever thankful that Sammy could be internally freaking out but radiate normalcy and keep everyone calm, including her.

"It's been crazy. How 'bout you?" she asked nervously. She didn't know why, but she was feeling really sick to her stomach. Maybe it was the little fact that she was talking to her brother for the first time in months, but Sammy and nervous had never gone in the same sentence together before. She felt increasingly worried…but it didn't involve her brother in the slightest.

Something else was wrong.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Sammy asked, picking up her distress immediately.

"I don't know," Stevie Rae answered and pushed the sick feeling away. Nothing should be able to ruin this moment. "Ya know what? It's nothin'. Seriously, how's life been? I feel like I haven't seen ya in forever…"

Sammy told Stevie Rae how his new job as a police officer in Henrietta was going, how her family and old friends were doing, and basically how life was in their little town. He also told her the most exciting thing that had happened was her death, and that wasn't even a good kind of excitement.

In return, Stevie Rae did her best to explain to Sammy how life was at the House of Night, how she had gotten an earth affinity, how she had died and un-died, how she had become the first red vampyre High Priestess, and how the High Priestess of the Tulsa House of Night had gone completely bat-shit crazy. She told him _everything_. Kalona, Zoey's soul shattering, _everything_.

Except one thing: Rephaim.

"So, you sure that's all you wanna unload?" Sammy asked.

"Whatta ya mean, is that all?" Stevie Rae asked. She knew she was a bad liar, but she hadn't lied, per say. She had just left out a huge chunk of the story.

"Anything else you would like to tell me?" Sammy's voice came from her phone. "Any_one_ you would like to tell me about?"

"How do you know that there's someone I wasn't tellin' ya 'bout?" Stevie Rae demanded.

"Well, you just told me," Sammy said, and Stevie Rae could clearly see in her mind's eye his cocky grin.

"Ah, but, how, agh, you're _so_ annoyin'!" Stevie Rae said.

Sammy's laugh drifted through the phone. "Yeah, but that's all part of the job. So who is he?"

"I never said it was a he," Stevie Rae stated suspiciously.

"Okay, so, maybe Mama may have let it slip that there was some guy, but I didn't catch his name or anything about him. So I want to hear it from you," Sammy said.

"Ha! I knew you weren't that good at reading minds!" Stevie Rae exclaimed, and both of them laughed.

"Okay, so, maybe there's this one guy…" Stevie Rae started, but her voice trailed off.

"Well? What's his name?" Sammy asked, and even though his tone was still light and happy, Stevie Rae knew that if Rephaim were able to be tracked, Sammy would probably hunt him down and kill him in the night.

Stevie Rae recalled all she had been told about Rephaim and his amazing-warrior skills. She thought of his huge wings and strong arms that had held her not too long ago…

Well, Sammy would try to kill him anyway. But he probably wouldn't be very successful.

"Hello? Earth to Stevie Rae? Ya still there?" Sammy broke through her thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm still here," Stevie Rae had been walking as she had talked with her brother, and somehow she had ended up on a trail deep in the woods in some large park and she had no idea where she was. Fortunately, there was a little park bench, and as she didn't feel the need to go anywhere soon, she sat down heavily on it.

"So what's his name?" Sammy prompted.

Stevie Rae took a deep breath. She knew she could tell Sammy anything, but she was more afraid of being overheard. She looked around, and the coast seemed clear. She smiled with relief and said, "His name is Rephaim, and it's a long, complicated story."

"Okay, well, first things first. Has he tried anything on you?"

Stevie Rae couldn't help but think of the time they were in the little pocket of earth and how he gave her his blood to save her life…of course, Sammy didn't mean that.

She laughed, thinking of his bird beak that never had terrified her in the least. "No, Sammy, he hasn't tried anything. He's not like that."

"Oh yeah? Trust me, _all_ guys are like that. 'Specially what I've heard of city guys," Sam insisted.

"But, Sammy, he doesn't even really like the city—"

Sam cut off her protest. "Guys try things. Period, the end."

"No, Sammy, he's not like that. He's not like that at all. He has never, ever tried anything I wasn't a-okay with, and he really isn't ever going to."

"Stevie Rae, give me one good reason why I should believe that."

"Well, for starters, he's half bird."

Sammy's stunned silence and unspoken confusion responded to Stevie Rae's statement. Taking this as an opportunity to say what she really needed to say, Stevie Rae proceeded to tell Sammy all about Rephaim; it was like word vomit, words tumbled out of her mouth uncontrollably, and once she'd started, she just couldn't stop. She unloaded onto Sam how she had found and saved him, how she had hidden him, how he had been used to try and help people kill her but then turned around and saved her, how they had imprinted (much to Sammy's distress), how he had saved her life again, how she healed him with the earth, how he had saved her from making the biggest mistake of her life (*cough* Dallas *cough*), how he was a guy in the fountain, how they kept in touch even after Zoey and Kalona had returned, how he took care of her after the funeral, how she wanted to see him again even now…

_Rephaim_

Once he was sure he was out of Kalona's earshot, Rephaim landed on the top of a tree in the middle of some woods. It was definitely part of a park, but no one was sitting on the park bench below. Absolutely no one was around, so Rephaim was sure all his thoughts and emotions were his own.

Rephaim felt like crap. He felt like he was being tugged apart and ripped in half, and his stomach hurt really, really bad. For the first time in his centuries-long life, he felt sick to his stomach because of guilt and disgust and worry.

Rephaim was also angry. He was angry at Neferet; he was angry at Darkness; he was angry at Kalona. But, most of all, he was angry with himself.

Rephaim squeezed the branch he had been clutching to remain balanced with all his might, and his scream of frustration was echoed by the great snap of the branch and its earth-shaking thump as it landed on the ground far below.

He took several shaky, jagged breaths and tried to stop the flood of emotions that ensued. But he couldn't. He had been finding it harder and harder to conceal his emotions ever since he'd met Stevie Rae, and now, when he was all alone, he simply didn't have enough willpower to plug up the broken dam of emotions.

Then the water broke through all at once. The flood gates opened, and Rephaim felt the water run down his face and drop onto his arms. He looked down at them, the arms that had so recently held her, and so recently had let her go.

_Gods be damned! What the hell am I supposed to do? I can't betray Father, but I can't betray a-qua-da-nv-do either. What am I going to do?_ Rephaim thought.

_I won't let them hurt Stevie Rae_, Rephaim concluded. _But I won't betray Father. I will find a balance_.

However, Rephaim was finding it harder and harder to keep that middle ground.

And, because he was alone, Rephaim asked aloud, "What am I supposed to do?"

He wasn't expecting an answer, and he didn't get one. Well, maybe not exactly…

"His name is Rephaim, and it's a long complicated story." He heard her voice, and he looked down to discover that she had sat down on that little park bench in the middle of nowhere. He could have smiled if not for three reasons: one, he had been ordered to take part in her capture, two, she was alone and in danger, and three, she was talking to someone on her phone about him.

Rephaim didn't mean to eavesdrop. He really didn't want to be spying on her, even though that's kind of what he was doing. But, when he knew she was in danger, and she was talking about him…what was he supposed to do?

Gods, he was asking that question far too much lately. Rephaim hadn't used to be so indecisive.

Rephaim couldn't hear the person on the other end, but he did hear Stevie Rae's half of the conversation. "Well? Say something, Sammy!" Stevie Rae exclaimed after telling this 'Sammy' all about him, and he meant _all_. She had listened to silence for several minutes before her sudden outburst.

Then, all of a sudden, Stevie Rae burst out laughing. Rephaim could tell that she was happy and excited, and he focused on their connection. Yes, this was totally invading her personal boundaries, but Rephaim was curious.

Stevie Rae loved the person she was talking to, that much Rephaim could tell. He had heard her call the person Sammy, and Rephaim frantically tried to remember if Stevie Rae had mentioned any Sammy in her non-stop babbling sessions.

"Okay, I know it's supposed to be your job as a big brother, but seriously, Sammy, you don't have to be so protective. I know Rephaim wouldn't do anything to hurt me, ever," he heard Stevie Rae say.

Right! She had told him that Sammy was one of her older brothers!

Then he registered her words. A bittersweet feeling swept over him.

Stevie Rae was laughing again at whatever Sammy was saying to her, and she twirled a blond curl around her finger. "Golly, Sammy, I really miss you," Stevie Rae said suddenly.

Stevie Rae's eyes went wide as she sat up straight. "No, Sammy. It's way too crazy down here. Don't you even think 'bout coming to visit, ya hear? I told ya how crazy Neferet is, and she really hates humans."

Stevie Rae listened to what her brother had to say. "Sammy, of course I would love to see ya again, but now really isn't a good time. When all this is over—" Stevie Rae was interrupted, and she remained silent for a bit.

"Sammy, please, I'm begging you…No! She would kill you in an instant! She's killed people without even being near them…Sammy, please, just don't come." Rephaim could see from his perch that Stevie Rae had tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Yes, I'll definitely call a bunch." Stevie Rae smiled, relieved. "Okay. Yeah…We'll hafta get together soon; I've missed ya…"

Rephaim's gaze was drawn upwards. _No_, he prayed. _No, please, gods, no!_

"I love you too, Sammy…"

Practically a black speck in the sky, his father and…was that one of his brothers? _No_. They were coming towards him_. No_. Towards her. _No_.

Rephaim didn't have time to think. He had seconds before they came. _No, no, no._

"Okay, Sammy—"

"Stevie Rae! Run! Get out of here! Now!" Rephaim screamed.

_Nisroc_

He had sensed his father the second he had returned to Tulsa, but he had had other…difficulties.

What remained of his brothers after his father's temporary banishment had left and disappeared to less-inhabited lands outside of the city. He had failed to keep them nearby, with Rephaim dead…

No. None of that mattered now. Rephaim may be dead, but Nisroc must still remain loyal to his father.

So he tracked him down and found him in the west of Tulsa.

"Father, returned, I have!" Nisroc said, dropping to one knee on the roof of the building his father had landed on.

Kalona studied him for a moment, as if he were trying to remember who he was. "Ah, Nisroc!" Kalona greeted, "my son. How convenient it is for you to return to me at this time. Are there any others?"

"No, Father. Hold them, I could not. Rephaim dead—"

Surprisingly, Kalona laughed. "Rephaim? My son is far from dead, I can assure you."

Nisroc's eyes widened, but he had still not looked Kalona in the face. "Father, from sssssky, he was ssshot. Killed him, it ssshould have."

"Rephaim is strong, Nisroc. He healed and found me again. And, even if, there are no more sons arriving at this moment, it is of no matter. You shall be enough."

"Enough for what, Father?"

"To ensure our victory in capturing the Red One. She has, indeed, left the safety of her school, a decision she will soon regret." Kalona began to pace. "I have taught you to control some immortal aspects, have I not?"

"Yessss, Father. Teach me, Rephaim did."

"Very good. We will be using our immortal power and Darkness to drain the Red One of blood and energy, and then we will take her to the Mayo penthouse."

"Yesssss," Nisroc answered.

"Good. Take to the skies with me, my son. I have completed my scan of the majority of Tulsa. Rephaim must have found her in the north side. We are going to help him there."

"Assss you wisssh, Father," Nisroc replied, and the two took to the skies to find Rephaim and, ultimately, the Red One.

_Stevie Rae_

"Stevie Rae! Run! Get out of here! Now!" She heard Rephaim scream.

She immediately looked around, trying to find him. "Rephaim?" she shouted the question.

"What the hell?" she heard Sammy say.

"Quickly, Stevie Rae! They're coming now!" Rephaim shouted, and landed beside her, trying to nudge her into motion.

"Who's they?" she asked.

"Stevie Rae, what is goin' on?" Sammy yelled from the other end.

"My father. You know what I told you—how they want to use—"

"Who's with you?" Sammy questioned.

"Sammy, I'm gonna hafta—" Stevie Rae started.

"Don't you dare hang up this phone!" Sammy screamed.

"Stevie Rae, move!" Rephaim demanded, but his gaze was to the sky.

"Rephaim, what—"

"Go!" Rephaim shouted, trying to push her into making her legs start moving. She could now see the two black figures making their way towards her.

"Ohmygood_ness_," Stevie Rae breathed, frozen in place.

Rephaim grabbed both her shoulders and shook her. To his father and brother, it would look like he was trying to grab her. "Go," he repeated, not as loud (for fear that they would hear him) but the urgency and worry in his voice had increased tenfold.

Stevie Rae was scared into motion. She torn her wide eyes from the two figures swooping towards them and sprinted in the other direction.

The trees surrounding her moved in a wind Stevie Rae couldn't feel, and she knew that she had to get far enough away before she could even attempt to call earth and make her way back to the House of Night.

"Stevie Rae," Sammy's voice called from her phone. "Why are you crying?"

She backhanded her face and slowed herself down. Leaning against the tree, she lifted the phone to her ear and said, "I'm alright, Sammy. Don't worry. I'll be okay. I just can't talk right now. Can I call you back?"

"Answer me first. What is goin' on?" he demanded.

"Ssssstop!" someone hissed. Stevie Rae turned around and screamed. Behind her stood a Raven Mocker. He wasn't as big as Rephaim, but he was pretty close. But what had really shaken her was how different his voice was. Where Rephaim's sounded like a human's, his was like a hissing beast's. His red eyes didn't look as human as Rephaim's either.

"Stevie Rae!" Sammy yelled from the other end upon hearing her scream. Stevie Rae bolted into the shadows of the trees, and even though she had to constantly duck to avoid tree branches, he wouldn't have been able to follow her.

However, the safety of the trees could only last so long, but she had been checking behind her when she exited the canopy of safety. And she hit something so hard that she fell back onto her butt.

Shaking her head to clear her vision, she look up at what she had ploughed into, and quickly found that it was a who.

"Well, she had said we could chase you, and we may even find this amusing," Kalona's deep voice said soothingly, but it only managed to make her even more panicked. "But know this, little red vampyre," Kalona continued, "no matter how fast you run or where you try to hide, I will find you. Even if—and do not go thinking that you will—you manage to escape to the 'safety' of your precious school, we will be waiting. You can't hide forever, Red One, but I can wait that long."

Stevie Rae was scared and upset and angry. He might be Rephaim's daddy, but at that particular moment, she didn't care. Instinct had her launching herself to her feet and throwing her hands out in front of her, and although she had not summoned the element, the earth responded. Branches of the trees behind her shot forward and shoved Kalona away from her, knocking him up against a thick oak.

Stevie Rae didn't hesitate. She turned and ran, but she couldn't outrun Kalona's scream of outrage. She knew that the branches had shoved him and not held him, so he would be after her soon enough.

Stevie Rae made a sharp left in hopes of confusing Kalona or his son or whoever the hell was following her. She was vaguely aware that Sammy's voice was coming through the phone. She just kept running.

However, Stevie Rae was nothing if not klutzy. Naturally, she tripped on a root that had broken free of the earth and would have fallen flat on her face.

But strong hands caught her and strong hands saved her from a mouthful of dirt. All in one motion, someone had caught her and spun her around, but Stevie Rae was high on adrenaline and fear. For that split second that she was suspended in the air, she expected the worst, and she kicked with all her might, trying to get her captor where it counted.

"Stevie Rae!" Rephaim exclaimed, and his voice was filled with pain.

"Rephaim?" Stevie Rae's eyes widened as she was set down, and Rephaim leaned against a tree. "Ohmygood_ness_, Rephaim! I'm so sorry; I didn't know it was you! Oh crap, are you—"

Rephaim placed a hand over her mouth. He chuckled as he said, "I really have to remember you're stronger than you look. I'm fine, but if you don't move, then you're not going to be." Stevie Rae nodded and went to continue the way she had been going.

Rephaim grabbed her arm and spun her around. "Not that way," he said, and he gave her a little push in the right direction.

"Why—"

"I cannot tell you that. Go, Stevie Rae. I fear this is as much help as I can give you. Go find your way to safety, and quickly. Go!" Rephaim was in the air as he shouted the last word, and Stevie Rae hesitated for less than a second before taking his advice.

She ran for about five minutes before realizing two things: one, she had no idea where the hell she was, and two, she was a complete and utter idiot.

If she summoned earth and made a tunnel back to the House of Night, Kalona and his son wouldn't be able to follow her. Rephaim wouldn't follow her, but she guessed that he could. However, he didn't seem like he was supporting his father this time around.

She remembered what he had told her:

"_I will not betray him."_

"_Okay, fine. I get that," she had told him. "But does that mean you can't help me?"_

_After a while of silently staring at her, he had answered, "I want to help you, and I will as long as it doesn't mean betraying my father."_

That worked both ways, right? That's what he just couldn't say, right? Rephaim will help her as long as it doesn't mean betraying his father, and he will help his father as long as it doesn't mean betraying her…

That's just what he had to be doing. Rephaim was trying to stay on a middle ground, so Stevie Rae had to help herself. Rephaim may actually not be able to save her from this.

"_I can't be on your side, Stevie Rae. You have to remember that."_

"_So you'd fight against me?"_

"_I could not hurt you."_

"_Well, then—"_

"_No," he had interrupted. "Not being able to hurt you is different than fighting for you."_

"_You'd fight for me. You already have."_

_Rephaim had grabbed her hand, trying to make her understand through touch. "I've never fought my father for you."_

Stevie Rae took a deep breath, trying to get her heart rate back to normal. "Earth," she whispered. "Come to—"

"Stevie Rae!? What the hell is goin' on over there? Are you alright?" Sammy shouted, shattering Stevie Rae's concentration.

She quickly lifted the phone to her ear. "Sammy, I really, really can't talk right—"

The word she was going to say died on her lips as a dark tendril snaked up her legs, completely immobilizing her. Sammy was answered with a shriek of pain as another sticky black thread wrapped around her arms and shoved her to the ground.

"Stevie Rae!" Sammy shouted as Stevie Rae dropped the phone.

The threads of Darkness weren't drinking from her; they were just draining her. But she was forced to watch as her blood stained the ground she had landed on. Deep, mocking laughter soon followed as Kalona and his other son materialized in front of her. Her vision was starting to become clouded by black spots.

"Didn't I tell you, Red One?" Kalona's voice mocked her pain, and those black dots began to grow and multiply and overtake her vision. "This was bound to happen eventually."

Rephaim landed next to his father and brother, but Stevie Rae was the only one who could see the heartbreaking concern in his eyes. She was the only one who noticed how he shook his head back and forth in denial that this was even happening.

Rephaim's worried eyes were all that had kept her tethered to consciousness as the pain worsened, but she gaze slipped to her phone that was lying in the dirt.

"Stevie Rae?"

Her brother's voice was the last thing she heard as the spreading blackness devoured her. The last thing she saw was Rephaim dropping to his knees beside her.

* * *

**A/N**

**Well, that was a long chapter. Hope you enjoyed! If you did, or even if you didn't, please leave a review! It will only take like two seconds of your life, and I would appreciate feedback on how I did with Nisroc and my OC Sammy. You should all know that Nisroc will be playing an important role. That doesn't mean he's gonna be in every single chapter; it just means that he is vital to the plotline…**

**~Smiley**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N**

**Thanks to all who reviewed! Specifically…**

**-inquiete**

**-Guest**

**-ImChewing**

**-StevieRaeFan**

**-Danielle**

**-housofnightfan**

**-and Stephaim Fan**

**YOU GUYS ROCK!**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own HON or anything else relating to it, so there. God, I'm writing this way too late to give decent disclaimer.**

**~Smiley**

* * *

Chapter Six: Back at the House of Night

_Aphrodite_

"Fuck this shit. How hard can it be to find one bumpkin?" Aphrodite mumbled to herself. She ducked her head a little to try and avoid the rain, which was sure to ruin her perfect hair. It had been cloudy all morning (read: early night), but around midnight, the skies just decided to give up and let it all pour down. "I swear, if my hair is even slightly frizzy when I find her…"

Aphrodite needed to talk to Stevie Rae about her latest vision. This was the second vision to star her and the biggest baddy of all Raven Mockers, Rephaim, and she hadn't exactly gotten a decent conversation about the first. Aphrodite had no way of knowing if Stevie Rae had any sort of relationship with the birdboy already, but, assuming she didn't, then she needed to know to Stay Away. If she, Goddess forbid, already did, then she needed to get some serious bitch slapping and/or do a hell of a lot of explaining.

Aphrodite was about to go inside and see if she had walked in a complete circle around Stevie Rae when she spotted Kramisha on the bench. She was holding her jacket over her head and some purple paper, which Aphrodite could only assume had at least one annoying poem on it.

She sighed and turned away from the door, instead walking over to where the Poet Laureate was sitting. "What are you doing?" she asked, her tone no less bitchy than usual.

"None of your business," Kramisha retorted, hardly giving her a second glance.

"Do those poems happen to be about a certain bumpkin?" Aphrodite asked, trying to find out just how much the red Poet Laureate knew about her red High Priestess.

Kramisha's deer-caught-in-headlights expression told Aphrodite all she needed to know. However, Kramisha's wide eyes now truly saw Aphrodite, including the lack of make-up and bloodshot eyes.

"You's had a vision," Kramisha stated.

Aphrodite nodded. "I need to see the poems." She reached out to snatch the purple notebook paper, but Kramisha jumped up and out of reach.

"I promised to keep these quiet," she explained. "I don't think you's gonna keep it quiet."

"Shit!" Aphrodite said, not exactly under her breath. "She's already with him, isn't she?"

"If you mean that human guy, then yeah. But I'm not sure if they're dating…"

"Human guy?" Aphrodite questioned. Kramisha shook her head.

"Oh, no. I'm not gonna tell you no more about this. Ya hear?" she said, backing up.

Aphrodite sighed and brushed a strand of wet hair out of her face. "Kramisha, I think she could be in a lot of trouble."

"Whadaya mean?" she asked, and she stopped in her retreat.

"My vision was about her and…Rephaim," Aphrodite said.

"Have ya talked to Zoey 'bout this? It sound like some crazy shit already."

"No, I haven't talked to Z about it yet. I wanted to find Stevie Rae first and talk to them both together."

"She ain't here. She went to go sort out some shit with her earth."

_In that case, then I got my hair wet and frizzy for nothing_, Aphrodite thought.

"Where would she have gone?" she asked.

"I ain't gonna tell you nothing till you tell me what you saw in your vision," Kramisha said, crossing her arms stubbornly.

"Fine," Aphrodite said, then, all in one breath, she said, "In my vision I was Stevie Rae and she woke up super confused in a dark room where a guy I later found out was Rephaim was telling her to, 'Drink before they realize she's awakened,' and, 'Heal before they can do you more harm,' and a bunch of other crazy shit. He also called her _a-qua-da-nv-do_, but I have no idea what the fuck that is. Then she started to drink from him, and the only thing that was really clear about the entire vision was that they were imprinted."

Kramisha stood there for an eternity with her mouth hanging wide open. "Well?" Aphrodite finally exclaimed.

"She's in a shitload of trouble, isn't she?" Kramisha said. It wasn't a question.

"I think so."

"Here," Kramisha said, passing the paper to her. Aphrodite took a deep breath and read the first poem.

_The Red One steps into the Light_

_girded loins for her part in_

_the apocalyptic fight_

_Darkness hides in different forms_

_See beyond shapes, colors, lies_

_and emotional storms_

_Ally with him; pay with your heart_

_though trust cannot be given_

_unless the Darkness you part_

_See with the soul and not your eyes_

_because to dance with beats you_

_must penetrate their disguise_

"The first one already happen," Kramisha said. "It about her battle with them bulls, but now I think it might be more."

Aphrodite nodded and moved onto the next poem.

_Beasts can be beautiful_

_Dreams become desires_

_Reality changes with reason_

_Trust your truth_

_Man…monster…mystery…magick_

_Hear with your heart_

_See without scorn_

_Love will not lose_

_Trust his truth_

_His promise is proof_

_The test is time_

_Faith frees_

_If there is courage to change._

"This is bad," Aprhodite said. "Really bad."

"She know something 'bout it when I talk to her, but she don't wanna put her personal life out there. I get that, but she dealin' with some shit that mess with her head. Read the third."

_You must tell your heart_

_The cloak of secrets smothers_

_Freedom: his to choose_

Aphrodite opened her mouth, but Kramisha cut her off by saying, "Don't say nothing till you's read the last one."

_The world has only seen what I have done_

_And her world only sees what I could be_

_But courage to tell her, I have none_

_She would never love a monster like me_

_Although the world could never accept him_

_My heart already has; love without thought_

_I know our chances are ever so slim_

_But I know that love was all that he sought_

"She was gonna talk to me or Zoey or both of us, but she didn't know how to explain it, so she went to go sort out the shit with her earth," Kramisha said, knowing Aphrodite had finished reading when she looked up from the page.

"The last one is the most confusing," Aphrodite said.

"Yeah, but I think it changes point of view. I think the first four lines are from the guy, and the last four are from her."

Aphrodite nodded. "Do we know if any of this has happened yet? Or are they just warnings?" she asked.

"Stevie Rae know something, but she herself may not really know what," Kramisha said.

"So you think it's already fucking happened?"

Kramisha nodded. "Great. Just fucking great!" Aphrodite said, wiping another strand of wet hair out of her face. "So now we get to add Stevie Rae's imprint to Rephaim to our list of shitty problems to deal with."

Kramisha nodded. "Will you tell me where she is now?" Aphrodite asked.

"One condition," Kramisha said. "I go with you."

"Yeah. Fine. Sure. Let's just go. Where is she?"

"She was heading north, probably towards the woody area of the park," Kramisha said.

"Well, it's a start. Let's fucking get a move on."

_Aphrodite_

"Stevie Rae!" Kramisha called.

"Bumpkin! Here, bumpkin!" Aphrodite called. "Ugh, where is she? We have been trudging through these muddy woods for an hour now."

"It only been ten minutes," Kramisha said. "You think I like to be out here in the rain? Nuh-huh. And I definitely don't wanna be out here with you. But we gotta find her."

Aphrodite rolled her eyes. _Goddess, where is she?_ She thought.

"Stevie Rae!" Aphrodite called.

Nothing.

Kramisha suddenly went stiff. "Did you hear that?" she asked.

"Hear wha—"

"Shhh!" Kramisha waved her hand at her and leaned to the right. "That! Did you hear that?"

"No."

"Someone's calling for Stevie Rae," Kramisha said.

"Speaking of calling, why didn't we try that?" Aphrodite asked.

"I did. The line was busy," Kramisha replied. "C'mon. Let's go this way."

Aphrodite followed Kramisha off the path, ruining her five hundred-dollar boots in the mud.

"Stevie Rae!"

"That wasn't me. And you didn't just fucking say anything…"

Kramisha looked at Aphrodite expectantly, and Aphrodite turned to her, wide-eyed. "Is that what you were talking about?"

Kramisha nodded.

"Stevie Rae!"

"Who else would be calling her?" Instead of answering her question, Kramisha shrugged and kept walking towards the voice, who Aphrodite could now tell was probably male.

"Stevie Rae! C'mon, girl. Answer me!"

"This where the noise should be coming from." Kramisha sniffed the air. "Holy shit!" she screamed, covering her nose and mouth.

"What? What is it?" Aphrodite asked, but then she saw it. "Fuck!"

"Stevie Rae? Stevie Rae, is that you?" said the voice.

Blood was everywhere. It probably looked worse than it actually was, being the rain had probably made the puddle bigger, but holy shit!

"Aphrodite, is that her phone?" Kramisha asked. Miraculously, the phone was still working even though it was sitting in a puddle of blood and rain.

"Stevie Rae! Answer me!"

_She _so _owes me for this_, Aphrodite thought as she reached down and picked up the blood soaked phone.

"Hello?" Aphrodite said into the phone.

"Who are you and what the hell have you done to her?!" someone yelled from the other end.

"Wow. Rude much?" Aphrodite said.

"Where is she?" the male voice asked. "Where is Stevie Rae?!"

"Well, I'm Aphrodite LaFont, and the other person with me is Kramisha. We haven't done anything to the bumpkin; we're her friends, more or less. We were actually out looking for her. How long have you been screaming into the phone for?"

"Half hour, maybe an hour. Do ya know where my sister is?" the guy asked.

"Wait. You's Stevie Rae's brother?" Kramisha asked.

"Yeah."

"Well, that makes sense. You have the same twang," Aphrodite said, tossing her hair over her shoulder. The hair flip wasn't as dramatic or effective when her hair was wet and heavy.

"You didn't answer my question," the guy said.

"Well, I did tell you we were out looking for the bumpkin. If we knew where she was, why would we be looking for her?" Aphrodite replied. "And who are you?"

"Officer Sam Johnson. Look, I had been catching up with Stevie Rae when I heard a bunch of other people—I'm pretty sure they were guys—and she started screaming. I didn't hear anything else until you ladies came and found the phone."

Aphrodite and Kramisha looked at each other. "I think you should come to Tulsa," Aphrodite said slowly, "because it seems like Stevie Rae might be missing."

* * *

**A/N**

**Hope you guys all enjoyed the chapter. Please leave a review! Happy Holidays!**

**~Smiley**

**P.S: Can someone please tell me if they love/like/hate my OC? He's only going to be a secondary character all the way through, but I kind of need to know your opinions on him so I know whether or not I should put him in more or less…**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N**

**Special thanks to all who reviewed! Specifically…**

**-IloveZimandNny16**

**-baby Cyclopes**

**-ImChewing**

**-Elysse Raven-Rose**

**-StevieRaeFan**

**-inquiete**

**-almbookbuyer**

**-Guest**

**-RephaimStevieRae**

**You guys are awesome! Thank you so much for your feedback on how I was doing with the POVs, my OC, and just the story in general! =D**

**IMPORTANT! Okay, remember when Rephaim called Stevie Rae agwadantogi? Well, I found a different way to say what that means on a much more reliable looking website, so now agwadantogi is a-qua-da-nv-do. Sorry for any confusion!**

**Disclaimer: Nope. Sorry. No owning to be had.**

**~Smiley**

* * *

Chapter Seven: The Mayo Penthouse

_Nisroc_

Rephaim had dropped to his knees beside the Red One. The small, frail-looking vampyre was unconscious, that Nisroc could tell. But what Nisroc thought was almost strange was the way his older brother scooped the girl up into his arms. He had never, not once in his entire life, seen Rephaim be so gentle, so careful, so considerate and—could it be—concerned for as long as he had known him.

Rephaim was holding the Red One bridal style with one arm under her knees and the other supporting her back, although her neck was unable to support the weight of her head, and it was tilted back.

Father nodded grimly; his fierce smile was victorious. Without a word, he unfurled his mighty wings and took to the sky. Nisroc and his brother looked at each other before Rephaim shrugged and the two followed their immortal parent back to what Nisroc later learned was a penthouse in a building referred to as "Mayo".

That had been days ago. The Red One had not yet awakened from the unconsciousness that they had brought upon her. As the days had passed, the Tsi-Sgili had gotten increasingly anxious and more irritable, and Nisroc was glad when she had to return to the House of Night and he could be rid of her presence.

However, at the same time, Nisroc felt increasingly alone. He was overjoyed that his brother wasn't dead, but Father and the Tsi-Sgili had both agreed that Rephaim should be the one primarily in charge of the Red Vampyre. And that meant that Rephaim had spent the entirety of the past few days holed up in that bedroom the Red One was imprisoned in. The only time Nisroc got to speak to his brother at all was when he needed to eat, and, like the obedient servant of his father's he was, Nisroc would bring the food to the immortal's favorite son.

Nisroc hoped the Red One would awake soon. Then, maybe, just maybe, Nisroc would be able to talk to his brother if the red vampyre came into another part of the large penthouse. Rephaim had never been loving or nice; like their father had raised him to be, Rephaim's emotions were hard to read, and he was never gentle-hearted with anyone. Why would he be, after all?

However, Rephaim was the one to teach Nisroc to fight, and to speak (even though he wasn't quite as good as it as his brother was), and everything else he needed to know to survive when living with his father.

No, Rephaim wasn't nice, but he had never been unnecessarily harsh to any of his brothers—at least not when they were alone. Thus, Nisroc had never been afraid of his brother, unless he was angry, in which case Rephaim had quite the temper. But, all in all, thinking his brother dead had taken a toll on him.

Nisroc settled into the dark brown leather arm chair, listening to the conversation between his Father and the Tsi-Sgili. He waited for the grand clock on the wall to creek and chime and complain and signal Nisroc to go and check on his brother and the state of their prisoner. But as he waited, Nisroc knew in his heart that he wanted nothing more than his brother back.

_Stevie Rae_

Days, weeks, months, years…they had all passed as far as she knew. All the time in the world and no time at all had passed. What was time to her in this state, this state where she drifted in and out of consciousness without control or thought to it at all? What was time to her in this state, where everything she could do was nothing at all? What was anything to her in this state of real and surrealism, this state of nothing and everything, this state of being and nonexistence, this state of…of…of…

Stevie Rae would moan as a grip on her neck tightened and a warm, healing liquid ran down her throat, giving her a feeling of pleasure and pain. Pain because she would almost be awake enough to feel her own injuries. Pleasure because she would know without really knowing anything at all in her state that the liquid that would be pouring down her throat and reviving her body was blood.

She wouldn't be able to hear much over the roar of her heart pumping the new supply of blood through her weakened body, but she would've been able to swear she'd heard the stifling of a moan, one that she would know was not her own.

What was going on? Where was she? The questions may or may not have drifted to Stevie Rae's attention, but in this state she was in, why did it matter? All she really knew was the strength the blood provided and the not really knowing (or caring to know) anything at all.

Then, the hand gripping her neck would release her, and the wrist she had been drinking from would gently move away, and Stevie Rae would fall back into the state of unconsciousness and consciousness.

It was like she was walking along on some sort of tightrope. Sometimes she would swing one way, other times she would swing another. Sometimes she would be more unconscious than conscious, other times she would be more conscious than unconscious. And when she was more conscious, she would always be greeted with the power and strength of the blood she was being fed.

For days, weeks, months, years, she drifted in and out and in and out. What was time to her in this state? What was consciousness in this state? Why should she snap out of it if nothing mattered either way? Why…

_Rephaim_

It had been days since Rephaim had been able to look into her eyes, and, if he was honest with himself, he simply could not bear it any longer.

It had been days since he, his father, and Nisroc had captured her and brought her back to the horrible penthouse Neferet had provided. Days since his Father told him he would be in charge of the Red One, and that he would be responsible for seeing that she did not escape. For days, Rephaim had gotten to stay next to Stevie Rae in the bedroom Neferet had decided to make her prison cell.

Even now, Rephaim counted himself lucky that he was the one who got to stay at her bedside, even though he had been ordered to inform Kalona and Neferet the moment she awakens.

See, that was the thing. For days, Stevie Rae had been unconscious. If she had been awake and talking to him, then maybe the last few days wouldn't have been so terrible. On the other hand, her being conscious would have probably only made the sickening guilt plaguing him and the overwhelming self-disgust he was feeling much, much worse. If he were truly honest, it was probably safer for her to stay asleep. Neferet had no use for her while she was so weak.

On the other hand, her weakness and vulnerability was the most impossible to bear, and Rephaim had spent every second of every minute of every hour at her bedside, trying desperately to help her in the only way he possibly could. Stevie Rae had remained unconscious, unaware, for the overwhelming majority of the last few days. However, it was those brief moments were she sat in between consciousness and unconsciousness that Rephaim could act.

She never once opened her eyes, but Rephaim just knew when she was awake enough to drink. Rephaim knew she had lost too much blood when they had abducted her; he had watched it pour from her body and coat the earth below with far too much of her lifeblood—of their lifeblood, joined forever because of their Imprint.

See, that was how he could help her. It was _their_ lifeblood, and he knew he could help her by replacing it. He wanted her to heal so badly. He wanted to see her bright blue eyes again, even if he knew they would probably be burning with anger and hatred for him. He didn't care. She could be mad at him. She could hate him. She could scream and shout and throw punches at him. He knew he deserved it. But even if she would wake up hating him, he wanted her to wake up. He couldn't stand to see her laying there in such obvious pain and do nothing to help her.

If her healing meant giving her blood, then he was more than ready to do so. He didn't know if she would remember anything, but he did know it was helping. So whenever he felt her consciousness stirring, he would gently pull her into his arms. He would hold her tightly to him with one arm, and he would use his beak to cut a thin line in the bicep of the other. Gripping her neck to guide her to the bleeding wound, he would ensure that her lips pressed against the cut and she would drink, probably automatically.

Most of the time, she would give a low moan as the warm liquid would run down her throat, and Rephaim would have to stifle a moan of his own. There had been a slight stinging, yes, as he had reopened the same wound he had been using for the past couple days, but the second her lips touched the cut, the pain evaporated, leaving only pleasure.

When she slipped back into a fully unconscious state, Rephaim would gently release her and lay her back under the covers of the bed. And then he would wait.

He hadn't given her blood since the early evening. It was nearly 2:30 A.M., and Rephaim was sitting there, hoping she would awaken, or at least gain enough consciousness to drink some more. He was hoping, praying, wishing that those beautiful blue eyes of hers would flutter open, that she would say something, anything, to him.

And, because she made no movement, he allowed his shoulders to slump and his head to rest heavily in his hands, and he tried hard to deny the fact that his palms were damp from his tears. _Please_, Rephaim prayed to any god or goddess that deigned to hear him, _please, just let her wake up—let her heal. Please…_

_Please…_

It was then that all the heartache and all the mind-numbing fear and all the sick, sick guilt welled up inside him—made his insides clench and feel as if they would just explode if he didn't just let all of the emotions he was feeling out.

Head still in his hands, Rephaim couldn't hold the dam together anymore, and with a gut-wrenching sob, he began to really and truly cry. For the first time in his centuries-long life, Rephaim, first and favored son of Kalona, fallen immortal Warrior of Nyx, began to sob out of shear guilt. He had enough self-control to keep the noise muffled so no one would hear, but he couldn't stop himself from gasping, muttering, praying the same word over and over again.

_Please…_

_Please…_

_Please…_

Rephaim was concentrating so hard on that little, six-letter word. It was as if it was his life-line, and, for all he knew, it was. He felt as if he wouldn't be able to go on another moment without see her expressive, beautiful blue eyes.

However, he was concentrating so hard on that word, putting all his mind and energy and soul into it, that he didn't even see those eyes flutter open.

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**A/N**

**As always, review please! **

**Ugh, you guys have no idea how much of a hard time I had writing and finishing this chapter…I had to redo it like five times. Seriously, this was going to be a Zoey chapter…you can see what happened. More Stephaim to come next chapter, and I'll be updating this again before I update the next one of my stories…so review please! Tell me what you think!**

**~Smiley**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N**

**Thanks to all who reviewed! Specifically...**

**-IloveZimandNny16**

**-RephaimStevieRae**

**-Guest**

**-Chicky**

**-baby Cyclopes**

**-inquiete**

**-almbookbuyer**

**-and Elysse Raven-Rose**

**You guys are AMAZING! I love you all! Thanks so much for your support; hope you all like the next chapter! R&R please!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own HON. Or the characters. Or some other stuff HON related. So there.**

**~Smiley**

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Chapter Eight: The Mayo Penthouse

_Stevie Rae_

Stevie Rae's eyes opened, but the scene before her was fuzzy, so she had to blink several times to clear her vision. But what she saw only confused her more.

Rephaim had his head in his hands, and his shoulders were shaking. Actually, his entire body was trembling. Automatically, Stevie Rae tried to sit up and reach over to him, ready to grab his hand and tell him everything would be alright. But a wave of nauseating pain pinned her to the bed in which she lay, and with it, a tide of memories crashed down on her. It was fuzzy and confusing and her head hurt, but she wanted answers. The last thing she remembered…Kalona…Rephaim…

"Rephaim," she croaked, her voice rough from disuse.

At the sound of his name, Rephaim's head shot up, his gaze scrambling to find hers. Their eyes locked, and the tears in his eyes made her own water. He looked so broken. But, slowly, as he realized that her eyes were open and she was finally awake, he became totally alive with excitement. Scooping her up into his arms, Rephaim just held her tightly to him. He had moved so he was sitting on the edge of the bed, and his entire body was trembling. Hugging him back, Stevie Rae was trembling too.

She was scared. She didn't know what was going on, or what had happened. But she did know that he was here, and, as long as they were together, nothing could be that bad. Stevie Rae didn't realize Rephaim had started crying again—this time tears of joy—until they had fallen onto her cheek, and it took her a moment to realize she was crying as well.

It took her another moment to realize she was in pain. It coursed through her entire body like molten lava, scorching her from the inside. She felt her face twist into a wince, and she must have made a sound because Rephaim was suddenly holding her at arm's length and looking like it was he who had caused all this pain inside her.

Maybe it was.

Quickly but carefully, Rephaim laid her back down against the soft pillows, spewing a thousand apologies. She grabbed his hand to silence him, closing her eyes and leaning back against the comfort of the bed to regain her strength and wait for the pain to pass.

Where was she? What had happened? She remembered the fear of being chased, and she remembered Kalona standing victoriously over her with Rephaim kneeling at her side when she slipped into unconsciousness…

_No. Please, Goddess, no_, she thought. Rephaim had tried to warn her about this. Tried to tell her what Neferet had been planning…

All her thoughts were driven out of her head. Stevie Rae recognized the feeling. She had grown quite acquainted with it back when she had first un-died. Blood lust. The terrible, undeniable thirst. Now, Stevie Rae knew she had been gravely injured; she had never felt so thirsty in her entire life.

No. Not now. She had to find out what was going on first. She needed to know where she was, and, Goddess forbid, if she needed to make an escape.

It occurred to her that he had been saying something. Unfortunately, she had been too distracted fighting back her instincts to really hear him.

"—Oh, gods, Stevie Rae, are you all right? Stevie Rae?" he asked, looking at her with far too much sadness and worry and concern.

"Huh?" she mumbled brilliantly.

"I'm sorry, Stevie Rae. I don't know what I was thinking. I know you are far too hurt—"

She cut him off. Not rudely, of course. She was just worried that if she didn't ask now she would drift off again and forget. "Rephaim, where am I?"

He didn't answer her for a moment. He just stared at her sadly, but that only made her want to shake him. She was confused and scared, and she really needed to know what was going on. She meant to tell him this, too. She really did. But when she tried to sit up, she was knocked down with a wave of pain. Rephaim scrambled to support her and gently lay her back down into the softness of the pillows.

"Rephaim—" she started, but her voice was weak.

"Shhhh," he said. "Rest for a minute. Regain some strength. Then speak."

Too tired to protest, Stevie Rae did as she was told. She closed her eyes, resting back in the comfortable bed with both of Rephaim's hands holding hers. She almost fooled herself into thinking that everything was okay, but a loud noise from another room made Rephaim jump and Stevie Rae open her eyes, wide and startled.

The noise had startled her, but what frightened her most was Rephaim's fear. It didn't take an Imprint for her to see by his wide, worried, guilty eyes and how every muscle in his body had tensed to realize he was nervous. And something—anything—that made Rephaim nervous had Stevie Rae scared to death.

"Rephaim," she whispered, squeezing his hand spasmodically, hardly trusting her voice.

Rephaim seemed to snap out of whatever trance he was in. "Stevie Rae, _a-qua-da-nv-do_," he murmured to her gently.

"Rephaim, what happened?" she asked, but she felt as weak as her voice sounded.

Rephaim seemed to realize just how weak she was, and Stevie Rae knew what he had decided before he even said the words. "Quickly, _a-qua-da-nv-do_. Drink before they realize you've awakened." His tone was worried and insistent, and from the way his eyes kept darting back between her and the door, she knew he was on the verge of frustration.

After a moment, Stevie Rae asked, "Where am I?" for what felt like the hundredth time.

Rephaim kept his voice low, but there was no mistaking the urgency in his voice. "Please, Stevie Rae, drink first! You must heal! Quickly, before they come in here—"

"Rephaim, where am I?" She couldn't drink, not now. No matter how unbearably thirsty she was, she needed answers, not blood.

"I'll tell you once you're healed!" he said, barely keeping his volume under control. Before Stevie Rae could argue, before she could even manage a squeak of protest, Rephaim brought his wrist up to his mouth and slashed it with his beak.

The room filled with the scent of his blood, as did all of her senses. It was all consuming. Everything—Stevie Rae's entire world at the moment—was suddenly flooded with nothing but him. And Stevie Rae knew that her body did need to heal. She didn't know how exactly, but she had been physically and mentally weakened. She was having trouble focusing, and perhaps that is what saved her from caving into her nearly-undeniable instinct.

Mentally shaking herself, Stevie Rae mustered up all the will-power and strength and focus she had into her question, hoping, praying that this time he would listen to her. "Rephaim, what the hell is going on?"

"Please, Stevie Rae," Rephaim begged, his eyes and his voice rough with emotion. Stevie Rae could tell this was breaking him, but whether or not she was the cause she did not yet know. "Heal before they do you more harm."

He brought his wrist to her lips, and her will-power crumbled. She retreated, letting her instincts take over. She couldn't help but think how this wasn't too different from the first time she'd drank from him. Like the first time, she had been hurt badly. And even though he had her best interests in mind, he also wasn't giving her much choice, like the first time.

But then she felt a surge of power—a surge of energy. She knew Rephaim must have felt something as well from the way he pulled her into his arms, closer to him, cocooning her with his wings as he moved to lie down next to her in the softness of the pillows. But that power, that energy, whatever it was, was what made Stevie Rae realize something was seriously different between now and that time after she almost burned on the roof.

The black bull.

Stevie Rae knew her Imprint with Rephaim was strong, impossibly so. She also knew that she had been bound to his humanity after her deal with the Light bull. And she was more than willing to have this second bond with him, but she hadn't ever known just how strong it was—or how strong it could be.

She could practically feel both their Imprint and the other tie to him strengthening. She knew that, at least in terms of their Imprint, her tie to him was like a metal chain to a rope compared to other imprints. However, as she felt another surge of energy, she felt her ties with him strengthen tenfold, as if her bonds with him before had been the ropes and _now_ they were tethered together by an invisible but unbreakable chain.

And, for some reason, she was frightened.

Quickly, she closed his wound and released her grip on his arm. Still, she was lying in the bed next to him, wrapped in the warmth and comfort of his feathers. But she could not shake the fear. Just as quickly, she unwrapped his other arm from around her and scooted out of the cocoon of his wings, forcing herself into a sitting position and running a shaky hand down her face.

"Rephaim, where am I?" she asked, glad to hear that her voice had regained its strength as well as her body. "What happened?"

"How much do you remember?" he replied.

She thought back, striving to remember. Thankfully, the blood had helped to clear her clouded mind as well as begin repairing her body, so the bits and pieces of the last night she remembered started to drift back to her.

"I-I had been talking to…to Sammy on the phone, and then you…you swooped down and told me to run!" Her voice was hesitant and questioning, but she gained confidence as she continued speaking. "And then…your daddy! He was there and started chasing me…and…and was that one of your brothers? And then you…you told me to run again, but then when I tried to call earth, Sammy started screaming through the phone and—"

"What is it?" Rephaim asked when she dropped the sentence cold. He hadn't tried to move towards her since she had moved away from him, but his body language told her he wouldn't mind having her in his arms again. "What do you remember happening next?" he prompted.

"Sammy…Ohmygood_ness_, Sammy!" Stevie Rae practically screamed.

"Please, Stevie Rae, keep your voice down," Rephaim said quickly, glancing at the door of the bedroom worriedly. "What about your brother?"

"He-he must be so worried!" she exclaimed, although she did keep her volume to a minimal. "He was screaming crazy through the phone 'cause hadn't hung up when I started runnin'—" Her voice caught of a sob—"and-and what if he does something really stupid now 'cause he thinks I'm in trouble?"

It was a rhetorical question, but Rephaim felt the need to respond to it. "Stevie Rae," he said, "I fear you _are_ in trouble."

"I-I know," she said, trying to get a hold of herself. "I remember…it was like those snake-y thread things the white bull had been usin'." Rephaim nodded. He knew she spoke of the dark tendrils. "And…and I think I passed out."

"That is correct," Rephaim said. "You lost a lot of blood, Stevie Rae. I…"

"What?" she asked softly when his voice trailed off. "You what?"

"I feared that you had lost too much," he said finally. "When I had carried you back here, Father and Neferet said to put you in this room, and—"

"Rephaim?" she asked. "Where is here?"

"We are in one of the bedrooms of the penthouse," he said. With a second thought, he added, "In the Mayo building."

Stevie Rae recognized the name of the building, which she counted as a plus. Yeah, she knew that this meant she really had been kidnapped by Neferet and Kalona and, yes, by Rephaim, but at least she was still in Tulsa.

There was another loud noise coming from outside the room. Stevie Rae thought it could be a voice of some sort, but she couldn't make out any words. Maybe it was the fact that she was trying to hear through the walls, but, to her, it felt like she was trying to listen to someone talk from underwater. She knew the only real reason she could hear Rephaim was because he kept his voice low and his words clear. Well, that and he was close to her.

Shoving the noise aside, she whispered, "Rephaim, is this what you were tryin' to warn me 'bout? Ya know, when ya said that Neferet wanted to try and use me?" She already knew the answer, but she had to be sure. However, she couldn't help but notice how small and scared her voice sounded.

Rephaim nodded, and, wanting to comfort her, reached over to take her hand. She didn't mean to, but she flinched away from his grasp. His hand made a hasty retreat, and, although his expressions were hard to read, she could tell that he felt like she had slapped him. But before either of them could say anything, there was that noise again.

She recognized the sharpness of the voice. She recognized the hatred and fear and anger that swelled inside her at the sound. And, as the seconds passed, she could hear the noise getting louder and louder. And then she knew one thing:

The voice was getting closer.

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**A/N**

**Happy Mother's Day! I've been working on this chapter for a while now, and I just so happened to finish it today. Hope you guys enjoyed the update! I have this sort of plan for my future updates, and if I actually stick to them, then you guys will be seeing an update for Freedom's Heart next and then one for Camping and Drama. **

**~Smiley**


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